New i30 N Reviewed: Just How Hot Can A Hyundai Hatchback Be?

The Hyundai i30 N was revealed last summer and the sporty hatchback has received praise from a lot of automotive outlets. Carwow recently likened the hatchback to being a more-affordable Volkswagen Golf GTI. That’s high praise indeed, as the Golf has been the benchmark of the segment for a long time. Now, Autocar took the hatchback to a racetrack and it, too, really liked the car.
As a quick recap, the i30 N is Hyundai’s first proper entry into the hot hatch segment. The South Korean automaker has had the Veloster in its lineup for some time, and a new one debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, but that hatchback has always been more about quirkiness than performance. While that might change soon with the 275-hp Veloster N, right now the i30 N is the top dog at Hyundai’s range.

The i30 N was taken to Cadwell Park for a quick thrashing and was found to be really capable and enjoyable on the track. This was fitted with the Performance Package, in which the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder generates 271 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The package also adds sticky Pirelli P-Zero tires, bigger brakes, red calipers, a variable exhaust valve system that makes the engine note even more raucous, and an electronic limited-slip differential.

For its first attempt at a proper hot hatch, the i30 N is clearly here to challenge the new crop of competitors. You can watch the whole review of the i30 N by checking out the video below.

Videos

This just looks more and more attractive to me. It’s the perfect middle road of conservative and bold design(Golf vs Civic). Tasteful detailing, trim, colors, interior.

Honestly the Hyundai badge is the only “meh” factor. I know it’s irrelevant, but for the sake of the public image for the company, they ought to rebrand themselves. New logos for both Hyundai and Kia. They’re no longer bargain-bin econo cars. This is a legitimate GTI competitor, and that’s awesome.

Jason Miller

The best part is the same old names/logos. Give you that wow factor, that crap cars are now some of the best out there. Proof that they turned around their image and are making a name for themselves.

Craig

I would take this over all of the other hot-hatches. Too bad that’s not an option in Canada. Not yet anyway. I have no interest in the Veloster.

Randy Terpstra

I really like where Hyundai is heading, though I’m still concerned about their resale values. Agreed regarding the Veloster. Not that I hate the Veloster, but the i30 (which is sold here in Canada as the Elantra GT) is more practical and the N a true “hot-hatch”. Veloster = Scirocco

Ameer Hassan Tajaldeen

I was just about to stop watching this video right at the moment where he started talking about the car – everyone skip the first two minutes….

chumaxa .

The golf gti was the benchmark ? uh ? Is that an american website ? Must be, the golf is not the benchmark in europe since the mark 2 …